• Sign Up
    • Yearly by Check
    • Monthly Recurring
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Account
  • Log In
The Hendersonian
  • Home
  • News
    • All
    • Agriculture
    • Business
    • Local
    • Police
    • Politics
    • Schools
    • Science
    • Sports
    • State
    • World

    Deaconess Henderson Hospital Advisory Board gives $70,000 to local nonprofits

    Chill out at the Friends of the Library membership meeting July 12

    Two new honorees added to Juneteenth’s impact sign display

    Two new honorees added to Juneteenth’s impact sign display

    Wind turbine ordinance, which would be the first in Kentucky, is key to what ultimately occurs in Cordelio project

    Wind turbine ordinance, which would be the first in Kentucky, is key to what ultimately occurs in Cordelio project

    Macy talks socks,1978 UK champs and more during author visit to promote his book

    Macy talks socks,1978 UK champs and more during author visit to promote his book

    Alliance dedicates new Henderson County Mine

    Alliance dedicates new Henderson County Mine

    Trending Tags

  • Tech
    Blazing-fast broadband services now available to the majority of homes in the city and county

    Blazing-fast broadband services now available to the majority of homes in the city and county

    HMP&L signs initial agreement to build a battery energy storage system on South Green Street

    HMP&L signs initial agreement to build a battery energy storage system on South Green Street

    In some parts of the U.S., the grid of the future might be closer than you think

    Trending Tags

  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Sports
    2025 Handy Fest photo gallery

    2025 Handy Fest photo gallery

    Gritty Lady Cols advance to Final 4

    Gritty Lady Cols advance to Final 4

    Summer blockbusters finally arrive in June

    Summer blockbusters finally arrive in June

    A former Japanese tennis star champions Henderson County athletes

    A former Japanese tennis star champions Henderson County athletes

    Stanley hopes his exhibition is a reminder ‘to be open to joyfulness…from whatever ridiculous source it may come’

    Stanley hopes his exhibition is a reminder ‘to be open to joyfulness…from whatever ridiculous source it may come’

    Henderson joins West Kentucky Film Commission with hopes of luring movie makers here

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Travel
    Grants available from Deaconess Henderson Hospital Community Program Fund

    Hospital CAO: Deaconess Henderson will not close

    Enjoy the fresh taste of summer

    Enjoy the fresh taste of summer

    Regional collaborative assists those suffering from mental health challenges with online resources

    Regional collaborative assists those suffering from mental health challenges with online resources

    Plenty of baseball to watch without stepping into a big league stadium

    Plenty of baseball to watch without stepping into a big league stadium

    Matthew 25 cuts the ribbon on new mobile sexual health unit

    Matthew 25 cuts the ribbon on new mobile sexual health unit

    The Gnomes of Audubon Forest, a Henderson Tourist Commission initiative, is a scavenger hunt for all ages

    The Gnomes of Audubon Forest, a Henderson Tourist Commission initiative, is a scavenger hunt for all ages

    Trending Tags

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • All
    • Agriculture
    • Business
    • Local
    • Police
    • Politics
    • Schools
    • Science
    • Sports
    • State
    • World

    Deaconess Henderson Hospital Advisory Board gives $70,000 to local nonprofits

    Chill out at the Friends of the Library membership meeting July 12

    Two new honorees added to Juneteenth’s impact sign display

    Two new honorees added to Juneteenth’s impact sign display

    Wind turbine ordinance, which would be the first in Kentucky, is key to what ultimately occurs in Cordelio project

    Wind turbine ordinance, which would be the first in Kentucky, is key to what ultimately occurs in Cordelio project

    Macy talks socks,1978 UK champs and more during author visit to promote his book

    Macy talks socks,1978 UK champs and more during author visit to promote his book

    Alliance dedicates new Henderson County Mine

    Alliance dedicates new Henderson County Mine

    Trending Tags

  • Tech
    Blazing-fast broadband services now available to the majority of homes in the city and county

    Blazing-fast broadband services now available to the majority of homes in the city and county

    HMP&L signs initial agreement to build a battery energy storage system on South Green Street

    HMP&L signs initial agreement to build a battery energy storage system on South Green Street

    In some parts of the U.S., the grid of the future might be closer than you think

    Trending Tags

  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Sports
    2025 Handy Fest photo gallery

    2025 Handy Fest photo gallery

    Gritty Lady Cols advance to Final 4

    Gritty Lady Cols advance to Final 4

    Summer blockbusters finally arrive in June

    Summer blockbusters finally arrive in June

    A former Japanese tennis star champions Henderson County athletes

    A former Japanese tennis star champions Henderson County athletes

    Stanley hopes his exhibition is a reminder ‘to be open to joyfulness…from whatever ridiculous source it may come’

    Stanley hopes his exhibition is a reminder ‘to be open to joyfulness…from whatever ridiculous source it may come’

    Henderson joins West Kentucky Film Commission with hopes of luring movie makers here

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Travel
    Grants available from Deaconess Henderson Hospital Community Program Fund

    Hospital CAO: Deaconess Henderson will not close

    Enjoy the fresh taste of summer

    Enjoy the fresh taste of summer

    Regional collaborative assists those suffering from mental health challenges with online resources

    Regional collaborative assists those suffering from mental health challenges with online resources

    Plenty of baseball to watch without stepping into a big league stadium

    Plenty of baseball to watch without stepping into a big league stadium

    Matthew 25 cuts the ribbon on new mobile sexual health unit

    Matthew 25 cuts the ribbon on new mobile sexual health unit

    The Gnomes of Audubon Forest, a Henderson Tourist Commission initiative, is a scavenger hunt for all ages

    The Gnomes of Audubon Forest, a Henderson Tourist Commission initiative, is a scavenger hunt for all ages

    Trending Tags

No Result
View All Result
The Hendersonian
No Result
View All Result
Home News Local

SoFA Foundation hopes ‘Give Back Days’ can help fund arts needs at local schools

Vince Tweddell by Vince Tweddell
February 20, 2024
in Local, News
0
SoFA Foundation hopes ‘Give Back Days’ can help fund  arts needs at local schools

Poster publicizing the SoFA Foundation's first ever 'Give Back Days' March 5-7. (Provided)

0
SHARES
161
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Leaders of the SoFA Foundation dream that one day violin classes will be offered at schools, a youth orchestra will be flourishing in Henderson and a new theater will allow high school productions to be produced on a much bigger stage in front of much bigger audiences.

Both Greg Gibson and Leanne Banna, two members of the foundation, know they have a way to go before that can happen. But they believe it can.

“You got to crawl before you can walk,” Gibson said.

In the meantime, the foundation is concerned with helping to fund some of the more basic needs of the School of Fine Arts at Henderson County High School and arts programs of all education levels in Henderson County Schools. To that end, the SoFA Foundation is holding its first “Give Back Days” from March 5-7.

During that Tuesday through Thursday, participating local merchants will donate 10% of their sales to the foundation. The foundation has also set up sponsorship packages that would make more sense for some businesses, Gibson said.

Both Gibson and Banna said because this is the first year of the fundraiser, they haven’t set a specific goal for money raised. A goal of 20 has been set for the number of participating merchants, Gibson said.

A few of the top concerns for local arts programs, according to Gibson and Banna, are providing musical instruments, sound proofing the band room at HCHS and buying new art tables at the high school. Banna said the art tables are the same as the ones she used when she went to HCHS. She graduated in 1983.

Banna said band practice and choir practice can’t be conducted at the same time because the rooms abut each other, and the band’s music disrupts the choir.

Gibson said about 1,000 students take visual art, music or theater classes at the high school. For many of them, these classes provide a sense of belonging and community that they don’t get anywhere else.

A poll conducted by the SoFA foundation of 73 HCHS graduates who were a part of fine arts classes shows that 85% pursued arts after high school. Furthermore, 90% said these classes helped their mental health.

Sometimes these programs are a lifeline. One respondent, when asked about the benefit of arts classes, said, “Not to be dramatic, but they kept me alive.”

In the decade of the SoFA Foundation’s existence, Banna said the organization has raised roughly $50,000 which has funded guitars, keyboards and special chairs for choir members that help with correct posture.

Neither Banna nor Gibson both know that critical needs of schools—and their funding—come first. So, after the math, science, English and tech departments are funded, there isn’t much left for the arts.

That’s why the foundation is asking the community for support.

“If we can as a community that has the resources that can do it,” Banna said, “that makes a lot of sense.”

Her goal is for the SoFA Foundation to be able to fund arts as well as sports booster clubs.

Both Banna and Gibson have used their artistic background in their work lives. Gibson, a 1977 graduate of HCHS, went on to the University of Cincinnati, where he earned degrees in business and industrial design. He has worked as a float designer for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and Disney Paris.

Banna earned a degree in advertising and business from Western Kentucky University and ended up working in marketing. In her work every day, she uses creativity and critical thinking, which she credits the arts for having helped to hone.

She said the pragmatic aspect of arts education is often lost on the public. For instance, she’s found that people doing very different jobs from something in the arts often come at tasks with a more critical—and creative—mind.

Furthermore, both want to support the next generation of artists coming from Henderson. They mentioned John James Audubon and W.C. Handy as forebears, but Banna cited more recent Hendersonians—Gregg Hale, who directed the” Blair Witch Project” and Ane Crabtree, who is an Emmy-nominated costumer designer—as artists who are continuing Henderson’s arts tradition. Both Hale and Crabtree are HCHS graduates.

“We want to help the kids get what we got,” Banna said.

For more information, go to http://www.hendersonsofafoundation.org.

Previous Post

Jarrett tells story of how third-grade discrimination began her journey to becoming community leader

Next Post

Greater Norris Chapel Baptist Church celebrates 150th anniversary in 2024

Vince Tweddell

Vince Tweddell

Vince Tweddell is the founder, publisher and editor of the Hendersonian.

Next Post
Greater Norris Chapel Baptist Church celebrates 150th anniversary in 2024

Greater Norris Chapel Baptist Church celebrates 150th anniversary in 2024

Recent News

Deaconess Henderson Hospital Advisory Board gives $70,000 to local nonprofits

June 21, 2025

Chill out at the Friends of the Library membership meeting July 12

June 21, 2025
Two new honorees added to Juneteenth’s impact sign display

Two new honorees added to Juneteenth’s impact sign display

June 21, 2025
Henderson civic, industry leader Joel Hopper dies

Henderson civic, industry leader Joel Hopper dies

June 21, 2025
  • Sign Up
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Account
  • Log In

© 2025 The Hendersonian • Henderson, KY 42420

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Tech
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Sign Up
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Login

© 2025 The Hendersonian • Henderson, KY 42420